To join this Wiki, as a mentor or as a student, send us a note at info@learningis4everyone.org . Below is a copy of the message that everyone joining this wiki receives, and to which he or she must respond within three days in order to remain a participant in this effort. **We urge everyone participating in Tampa Bay Mentor Match to be familiar with this information, and to be sure that any mentor or family with whom you are working is familiar with it, as well, and agrees to the terms set forth here. We also urge families and mentors to be clear in their expectations of one another, to follow common sense safety practices and to do whatever it takes for you to feel confident of the intentions and goals of the people with whom you intereact (here and anywhere!). **
If, at any time, you do not feel comfortable about a situation or an individual,do not proceed with a mentoring arrangement. Visit Safe Kids for more resources and information about Internet safety. You may also wish to adapt for your own use our suggested Family-Mentor Agreement.
That said...
___________________________________
Welcome to Tampa Bay Mentor Match!
We're glad you’re interested in community mentoring. Please read the following carefully:
- Our wiki directory and resource is designed to facilitate connections between people willing to act as mentors to youth in the Tampa Bay area, and families seeking mentoring support for their children.
- Learning is for Everyone acts only as directory clearinghouse for this project, and accepts no responsibility or liability regarding private arrangements between families and mentors.
- **All mentor agreements are private arrangements between mentors and families, and the use of common sense and due consideration to the safety and well being of all parties is completely up to families and mentors.**
- Please do not advertise any services or products on Tampa Bay Mentor Match, or to youth and their families.
- All mentoring is provided free of charge, on a volunteer basis, in the interest of the greater good, and should not imply or encourage anything beyond imparting knowledge and information to youth. Although mentors are welcome to include a link towork, if you have a business or service, so MentorMatch visitors can learn more about your professional history or services at your own webpage, **mentoring is not to be used as opportunity to solicit business**.
- Any mentor reported to be actively soliciting for any sort of business or service, or self-promoting instead of selflessly mentoring, will be removed from the directory. That said, any arrangements for services, classes or other business, *initiated by families*outside of the mentoring relationship, are purely between those volunteering mentoring services and families acting as consumers of their professional services.
You will be asked to sign and date a copy of this statement, acknowledging that you have read this message and agree to take complete responsibility for your ethical participation in this community project and that you agree to hold Learning is for Everyone harmless in any actions between mentors and families. We must receive this statement from you before you can be a mentor, participate as a student or family, be part of our Wiki, or be listed in our Mentor Match Directory.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. We think this is an important and promising project, and we believe reasonable adults and families can be trusted to make intelligent decisions about their community involvement and their interactions with one another.
After you've sent in your statement of agreement, we’ll send you an invitation to our Tampa Bay Mentor Match Wiki where you can update your profile, list your field of expertise or your children's youth interests, the geographical area you live in or are willing to mentor in, and then start connecting with one another. Just click the EasyEdit button to get started.
Terri Willingham
info@learningis4everyone.org